I’ve been using the 1GB iPod shuffle for about a year. I figured that if I spent a little extra for the 1GB model, I’d be king of my own little hill. I went into a small fit of despair when the iPod nano hit the shuffle’s price point a few months ago. But then I realized that about a year ago, an Apple branded music player for less than P10,000.00 was a steal.

I’ve been asked several times if I’m happy with the “no screen feature” (note I say feature, not liability) the shuffle has to offer. A lot of people may have been duped into this “life is random campaign” but I knew what I was getting into. Besides, I was the only editor that didn’t have a flashy drive or a card reader at that time so the shuffle helped me blend in.

Honestly, I’ve never really felt the need for the screen. I only upload my favorites and listen to them while commuting to and from the office and while walking to media events in the vicinity. When driving, I attach the shuffle to my FM tuner. Since I don’t have a screen, I can concentrate on driving with one thumb pressing the forward button.

Speaking of the forward or “next song” button, that is probably the first piece of hardware that will give way. Not that it has. But frequent pressing to search through songs has made the button less sturdy than the others after a year.

By practice, I carry around forty to fifty songs in my iPod, all favorites and I can keep that playlist for several days - weeks even without having to update anything. In terms of allocation of data, I average about 300MB of flash data for important work files and about 400MB for songs, leaving me with 300MB of free space. Come to think of it, I’ve never maxed out the shuffle’s 1GB worth.

Accessorized investment
The past year made me accumulate five accessories to enjoy my music - the Xtrememac FM Tuner for iPod shuffle, the Capdase silicon protective case, the Griffin In-ear iPod earphone attachments, the shuffle armband and just recently the Limited Edition Bloody Shuffleart which serves a decorative as well as functional purpose for the shuffle.

The XtremeMac FM tuner I bought lasted almost six months. The reason why it broke? Well, the cable snapped as I was pulling it from the glove compartment. Tsk tsk Jayvee. I’m going to try to manually fix it though so let us see what happens. While it lasted though, it was one of the better FM tuners in the market because there was not a lot of static in my car. I use a Pioneer head unit with Keff speakers. Because the shuffle has no screen, I didn’t need to look at songs while driving: the iPod shuffle promotes responsible driving.

I stopped using the silicon case because it got lost (huwhatt!?). Yup, since the shuffle charges directly into the computer via USB, it tends to heat up, expanding the case (note to buyers: remove the case when charging). So one day, it departed from my personhood without my knowledge. How sad!

If you are looking for a protective case for the iPod shuffle, I might suggest getting Skinart because it doesn’t warp (well, at least it hasn’t in the few weeks that I’ve been charging with it). If you’re up for something more classic, a small metal case or the replacement pocket clip available in most Apple stores will suffice.

To shuffle or not to shuffle
I would rather memorize the playlist from continuous listening than be caught off guard with songs I liked, but didn’t want to hear, just yet.

So 90% of the time, I turn off shuffle mode. You see with shuffle mode on, I spend more time clicking through tracks to find that song I *really* wanted to listen to, even if the playlist were all my favorites.

Stay tuned for the full road test in the upcoming issue of Mobile Philippines!